When Anthony Davis requested a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans, the superstar big man reportedly did not include a demand that he had to be moved before the trade deadline, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times.

The Pelicans ended up not trading Davis at Thursday's trade deadline and will move him in the summer instead.

But Davis’s recent request to be traded did not include a demand that the move happen before the deadline, according to the people, who requested anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss the situation publicly.

Article Continues Below

This was the expectation all along. The offseason is when the Boston Celtics can get in on the Anthony Davis sweepstakes, and they are believed to have the type of assets New Orleans wants in return for Davis — headlined by Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and all of the draft picks Danny Ainge has collected over the years.

The Celtics weren't able to trade for Davis now because of the Rose Rule. Once star point guard Kyrie Irving opts out of his 2019-20 player option, Boston can go after Davis.

So now that AD is going to remain on the Pelicans for the rest of this season, the question now becomes whether or not the All-Star is going to play or if New Orleans is going to sit him. Davis has an extensive injury history. We'll see what happens on Friday when the Pelicans host the Minnesota Timberwolves.